Kraken's Cove ideas (spoilers)

[kenmckinney]

Hey,

I'm running Savage Tide for the second time, online using MapTools this time.

It's going well, but the party just had some exceptionally bad luck in Kraken's Cove... the party barbarian got critted twice for just about maximum damage both times in the first round, taking 35hp of damage and going to -8. Then the warmage moved up to try to protect his dying body and got dropped as well with another crit! Then the party killed the savage pirates, but as they exploded their acid damage was enough to kill the dying PCs. This was all in the room with the savage pirates with the meat cleaver, just inside the caves from the beach.

So, they are hardly into Kraken's Cove at all and they already have two deaths, out of 6 PCs. While they could press on, I am not sure that they will. If they don't they miss out on the opportunity to meet Harliss Javell and get her information about Vanthus and the Shadow Pearls. Also, they won't be forewarned about the attack at Vanderboren Manor. And if they don't return, they won't get the Sea Wyvern.

I am trying to figure out how best to recover from this.

I could totally redo the attack on Vanderboren Manor and make it retaliation from the Kellanis for the Lotus Dragon guild. That actually makes some sense, but would represent an escalation with the Kellanis that would almost certainly having the PCs wanting to assault the Kellani mansion in retaliation, so I would have to write that up as well. Presumably Lavinia would still send them back to Kraken's Cove afterwards to pick up the Vanthus trail.

But, how would they be able to? It's hard to rationalize Harliss Javell still being there days later. I want to somehow get them the information about Vanthus accidentally triggering the Shadow Pearl, but I am having a hard time coming up with a way to do it.

Any suggestions?

[Tony Wilkinson]

Gday kenmckinney,

1. You could still have the Vanderboren estate part as written but have the bad guys hanging around to snatch Vanthus when he turns up. They have been there a couple of days and are getting real nervous and starting to get real mean to their hostages.

2. The party could still get the Sea Wyvern. Lavinia's parents commissioned two ships, the one they died in, and the newly completed Sea Wyvern.

3. If no ships are left then Harliss may well be stuck, just drop the Sea Wyvern. She can hole up in the caves, barricade herself and be too weak to make a break because she is feeling the effects of savage fever. If the party can cure her then she will be real grateful with information

Just a couple of quick thoughts.

Tony.

[Wycen]

Have Harliss find the PCs. Instead of being caught in a cave, have her doing a fighting retreat and she happens to back into the PCs, while fending off the savage pirates.

[Robert Hradek]

There is an alternative that if the party were to kill Harliss that you would find a note to her superiors with her entire monologe in it. Who's to say she didn't drop such note in the disorder of a hurried escape.

Maybe even have her come back looking for it at the wrong time for the PC's.

Aside from that, just cause the PC's didn't witness it, doesn't mean it didn't happen. Drevoraz is going back to the manor, regardless what the PC's do. The PC's just don't get their usual welcome by an old halfling woman when they go back to the Vanderboren Manor this time.

Halber

[Mykull]

TO PLAYERS: THIS ISN'T THE POST YOU'RE LOOKING FOR.
YOU CAN GO ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS. MOVE ALONG.

Swap Leemo's dead body in area K6 with Harliss alive in K14. As the PC's never penetrated that deeply into the cave complex, re-scale it to 10 or 20 foot squares to account for hundreds of savage pirates instead of dozens.

Harliss has been spending the days making forays into the complex 28 Days Later style, killing a few savage pirates and scavenging food, but she's been unable to make it out of the caves entirely.

When the PC's return, the last pirates smash through the barricade and the encounter runs as written. If they're just there for the boat, make that smashing barricade LOUD. If they don't hear, or don't investigate, have a haggard, yet victorious Harliss, emerge from the cave complex and react to the PCs rigging the Sea Wyvern for sailing however you like.

As for the attack for Vanderboren Manor, it happens all off-camera so it can go how you like. Maybe the Jade Ravens put up a better fight than written. Or, since Lavinia busts out of her bonds anyway, maybe she's better trained than she appears and she saves the day. Maybe she broke a window and that got the attention of Jilanth Turtoso & Kurgol (drunk gnome and half-orc barbarian) who came to the rescue; or the city watch, or, well, pretty much whatever you want.

[Luna eladrin]

If you let Lavinia escape the bullywugs, she can hire the PCs to drive them from her house, where they still hold the Jade Ravens hostage. That would make a nice second part of the adventure.